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How do I tell AdBlock NOT to block ads? (Pause, whitelist, disable, and other options)

Created by: Rhana Cassidy

Modified on: Thu, 28 Jun, 2018 at 12:04 PM

Are you trying to watch a video or read an article on a site that doesn't allow ad blockers? Do you want to support a site you love by allowing it to show you ads? (By the way, this is known as "whitelisting" the site.) There are several ways to stop AdBlock from blocking ads when you want it to. But first, let's make sure you're in the right place.

Are you on a site that requiresyou to whitelist it or disable AdBlock?

If you like the site and you want to support it by allowing ads to show, or if you don't mind seeing ads temporarily while you do something you need to do, keep reading this article. Otherwise, read this article instead.

OK, if you're still here you're in the right place. Let's get started!

A couple of notes about the AdBlock button:In the instructions that follow, "the AdBlock button" is the button in your browser toolbar that looks like our logo, a white hand inside a red stop sign. (In Safari, the stop sign is gray because Apple wants it that way.) Clicking the button makes the AdBlock menu appear.

Also, if you notice that ads aren't being blocked, check the AdBlock button. If the stop sign is green (in Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge) and the hand has changed to a thumbs-up, it means you either paused AdBlock or whitelisted the page or site. The AdBlock button never changes color in Safari.

Disable AdBlock on the current site temporarily (pause AdBlock)

This feature is currently available only in our Chrome extension.

This is the best choice if you just want to 1) read an article on a site that doesn't welcome ad blockers or 2) do something on a site where you need to see ads (create your own Facebook ad, for instance).

To temporarily allow ads to show ONLY on the site you're currently visiting, click the AdBlock button and select Pause on this site.

AdBlock will stay paused on all pages on the site even if you open one in a new tab. Ads will still be blocked everywhere else.

There are three ways to start blocking ads on that site again:

Click the AdBlock button and select Resume blocking ads. Remember to reload the page if you want ads to show right away.

Visit a different site. This tells AdBlock to start blocking ads everywhere again even if you forgot to unpause it.

Restart your browser.

Disable AdBlock everywhere temporarily (pause AdBlock)

This is the best choice if you just want to 1) read an article on a site that doesn't welcome ad blockers or 2) do something on a site where you need to see ads (create your own Facebook ad, for instance).

To temporarily allow ads to show on EVERY site, click the AdBlock button and select Pause on all sites (Chrome) or Pause AdBlock (other browsers).

AdBlock will stay paused on all pages on all sites in all tabs. Ads will not be blocked anywhere.

There are two ways to start blocking ads again:

Click the AdBlock button and select Resume blocking ads (Chrome) or Unpause AdBlock (other browsers). Remember to reload the page if you want ads to show right away.

Restart your browser.

Disable AdBlock on the current page (whitelist a web page)

To always allow ads to show on the page you're currently viewing, click the AdBlock button and select Don't run on this page.

AdBlock will not block ads on the current page but will still block them everywhere else, including on other pages on the same site.

To start blocking ads on that page again:

Click the AdBlock button and select Enable AdBlock on this page.

If you don't see that on the AdBlock menu and you're certain you're viewing the page you originally whitelisted:

Click the AdBlock button and select Options.

On the CUSTOMIZE tab next to "Manually edit your filters," click Edit.

Delete any line containing the name of the website.

Click Save.

Go back to the page you were viewing and reload it.

Disable AdBlock on the current site (whitelist a website)

To always allow ads to show on the site you're currently visiting, click the AdBlock button, select Don't run on pages on this site (Chrome) or Don't run on pages on this domain (other browsers) and click Exclude.

AdBlock will not block ads on any page in any tab on the current site, but will still block them on other sites.

To start blocking ads on that site again:

Click the AdBlock button and select Enable AdBlock on this page.

If you don't see that on the AdBlock menu:

Click the AdBlock button and select Options.

On the CUSTOMIZE tab next to "Manually edit your filters," click Edit.

Delete any line containing the name of the website.

Click Save.

Go back to the page you were viewing and reload it.

Disable AdBlock on the current YouTube channel

If you prefer to allow ads on most sites, only blocking them on specific sites, you can set AdBlock to default to "off." We call this running AdBlock in "whitelist mode," showing ads on all websites, and blocking them only where you tell it to.

Whitelist mode is similar to simply pausing AdBlock on all sites. Unlike pausing, in whitelist mode you can still block ads on some websites, and AdBlock will remain in whitelist mode until you turn it off.

On the CUSTOMIZE tab under "Stop blocking ads," click Show ads everywhere except for these domains. (A "domain" is how you would refer to a website by name; for example, "getadblock.com.")

Type the domain(s) where you don't want to see ads. If there are more than one, use this format: ~thisone.com|~thatone.comTo get that vertical bar (|), press Shift+Backslash (\).

Click OK.

As soon as you type a domain in that box and click OK, AdBlock immediately enters whitelist mode.

To turn off whitelist mode, delete all the domains you entered and click OK.

Create an exception rule to unblock certain ads

Exception (whitelist) rules always override blocking (blacklist) rules. If there is a particular ad you want to see, you can use AdBlock's resource page to create an exception to the rule that's blocking it.

Why don't ads appear when I come to a whitelisted site using a shortlink?

If you have told AdBlock not to block ads on a particular site, but ads are blocked anyway when you get there by clicking a shortlink, please read this Knowledge Base article. (A "shortlink" is the shortened form of a website address.)